Stay ahead with the world's most comprehensive technology and business learning platform.

With Safari, you learn the way you learn best. Get unlimited access to videos, live online training,
learning paths, books, tutorials, and more.

Yoga for Kids and Teens

In This Chapter

Making yoga fun and safe for kids

Trying some kid-friendly poses

Easing the stress of adolescence with yoga

Checking out challenging yoga routines perfect for teens and young adults

Young people have a natural affinity for yoga. You can introduce even the youngest children to yoga through play. As the names of common yoga postures reveal, the postures were inspired by animals — the cat, the cow, the dog, the bear, and so on. The focused coordination of movement and breath that makes these movements yoga and not just physical exercise easily lends itself to child’s play. When you combine these elements with play — for example, imitation of animal sounds, a magic box of plush animal toys, balls of various sizes — you have the beginnings of kid-friendly yoga.

For teens, yoga offers tools to cultivate health in body, mind, and spirit. It provides a noncompetitive way for young people to develop strength and confidence and to manage stress — a plague of the times.